Overseas-based Guyanese donate $1M to pregnant woman’s recovery

Oct 12, 2014 News

…presentation made by GCB on behalf of Facebook Group “Guyanese Around The World”

The family of Samantha Persaud, who is six months pregnant, is making progress

Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board presents G$1 M cheque to the family of Samantha Persaud, on behalf of the Facebook group, “Guyanese Around The World.”

in their quest to garner funds for her overseas treatment. Scores of local and overseas-based Guyanese have recently provided financial assistance, amounting to G$2.5 M.
The most recent donation was $1M, and was made possible by the initiative of a “Ms. Lorry Melaram”, who uploaded Persaud’s story to a “group page” she created on social media website, Facebook, called “Guyanese Around the World”.
Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board, Anand Sanasie, presented the cheque to Persaud’s parents on Friday at the Cricket Board’s Headquarters on Regent Street.
Sanasie said that Melaram’s initiative allowed many overseas-based Guyanese to make contributions to Persaud’s cause. He said that GCB was chosen to make the presentation on behalf of the Facebook group.
Samantha Persaud, a 21-year-old, was diagnosed with a life threatening abnormality in her brain after suffering from a severe case of hypertension at her home, almost six weeks ago.
The West Coast Demerara resident was immediately rushed to a private hospital by her family. She spent the next three weeks ailing.
According to her father, Jaimangal Ghansham, he exhausted $1.9 M toward her possible recovery, but treatment was unsuccessful.
Ghansham said that his daughter was discharged from the private facility due to the lack of medical resources to treat her condition. He was advised by doctors at the private hospital to seek overseas treatment urgently.

Samantha Persaud

Since the family lacked funds to fund her overseas treatment, Gansham said that he had his daughter transferred to GPHC on September 18. She was later discharged from the public facility on October 2, since that hospital too, lacked the necessary treatment for her recover.
According to Ghansham, after her last discharge, doctors informed him that his daughter’s condition can lead her death within two to three weeks, if she is left untreated.
Fortunately, due to the “great public support that exceeded expectations”, Ghansham said that his daughter left on a flight to Venezuela yesterday with her mother, via Roraima Airways.
GPHC’s medical report on Persaud’s condition, signed by General Medical Officer, Dr. Anna Singh, indicated that an “MRI of the brain with and without contrast was done which showed Arteriovenous malformation.”
Arteriovenous malformation is said to be “an abnormal connection between arteries and veins, bypassing the capillary system”. It can cause intense pain and bleeding or lead to other serious medical problems.